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The Feline Film Festival this Sunday had cat lovers flocking to Exposition Park to meet their favorite cats, many of them with their own cats in tow.
An estimated 10,000 people stopped by to peruse cat wares, see cats and kittens up for adoption at various shelters, show off their own kitties and ultimately, to watch two hours of cat footage. Many attendees were dressed in their best cat outfits.
Lil Bub, Tara the Hero Cat and Dusty the Klepto Cats were on site to meet fans and pose for photos.
We stopped for a bit to talk with Lil Bub and her human, Mike Bridavsky. A French documentary crew for France's M6 was following the pair around to do a story on them. Outside, fans milled around in Lil Bub T-shirts, waiting for their opportunity to say hello.
"Her fans are super dedicated," Bridavsky said. "There's a joke with Bub. There's no meme… I don’t even like to call her an Internet cat. She's just a cat with a very special story."
The toothless runt of a feral litter, Bub survived despite the odds after being adopted by Bridavsky, who already had four other rescue cats at the time. Seemingly unaware of her fame and ability to inspire others, the now healthy and comfortable Lil Bub spent the interview lounging calmly on a table, like any other cat would.
Bridavsky says he and Lil Bub only attend events that approach them, and where the organizers are clear fans of Bub. Throughout the journey, he's prioritized Bub's comfort and says people shouldn't try to make their cats famous. Bub doesn't even have a manager. "My cat made herself famous. This is her calling, very clearly, and it blows my mind that this happened," he said.
Bub's done seven meet 'n greets in the past few months and they've raised $50,000. This money goes to help other animals in need.
We asked Bridavsky what he thinks about Hello Kitty not being a cat, and he was just as surprised as we were to find this out.
With all the other cats around, we asked how Bub feels about other cats. Similar to most felines, Bradivsky said that while Bub typically doesn’t get along with cats, she does get along with tigers and pointed us to this video.
He said after the Film Fest, they'll be taking a little break, but Bub will be the official spokescat for Animal Planet.
The Feline Film Fest was put on by Santa Monica pet company Organikat and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. A portion of the ticket sales will go on to benefit local cat shelters and adoption groups.
